Dark Illusion
by lalunaticscribe
Summary: Reasons why Domino City is forbidden to the league should have been placed in the rulebook. At last, Batman finds himself telling the little Leaguers exactly why only him and J'onn are allowed there.


_**Dark Illusion**_

_**An LLS Production**_

* * *

It was after the latest giant monster attacking Tokyo type of mission, the type that required the big guns and heroes of the Justice League that left property damages and soaring real estate prices in its wake despite the efforts of every hero then available, that Supergirl decided to investigate the infamous rule number fifty subsection a of Batman's guidelines. Ergo, the 'no visiting these number of places without an escort rule.

Gorilla City was understandable. Doctor Fate's laboratory even more so. Gotham a big no-no unless anyone wanted to face the wrath of the infamous Bat. The most inexplicable site of restricted airspace was, tucked in between the entry of 'the centre of the Earth' and 'Atlantis' was, most confusingly, a single city.

"You're going to fly over Domino City," Ice had echoed incredulously once supergirl had informed him of her intention to visit the infamous city of Duel Monsters. None of the heroes quite got the population's obsession over card games, but some of the Titans -and Flash- was over the moon at the game of Duel Monsters. That still did not explain why it was restricted airspace.

"Yep," Supergirl had plucked out the comm-piece containing the voice of an arguing Martian out of her ear to hide away. "Tell J'onn, 'kay? Say that I'm looking for thrills. Didn't you guys always want to see it?"

B'wana Beast and Fire had looked curious as the female super-heroine flashed off, towards a city that, oddly enough, seemed to possess some degree of that same air of malevolence that haunted Gotham.

Despite the stipulations on constant radio contact, it was the last any of them heard from Supergirl. That was, until B'wana Beast cracked and told J'onn in the next hour.

The Martian had sighed, deeply. "I'll call Batman."

Ten minutes later, a silent and increasingly angry black spectre shimmered onto the teleporter pad, followed by a Supergirl who had been injured, nursing a bleeding arm, bone still sticking out of her elbow. All three heroes stared, not at the serious injuries that by all rights should not have happened to any Kryptonian or Argoan, but at the haunted look the shaken girl carried as if she had just lived through a war-zone .

"I'm not going to say anything," the Bat rumbled in a voice that could, if possible, burn worse than the Sun. "Now you know why, Kara. Are you going to go there again?"

Numbly, the super-heroine shook her head desperately.

"Would you encourage anyone to go there?"

Again with the head-shaking.

"She's in shock," Batman relayed. "Kara, wake up."

"So many..." Kara numbly echoed. "Creepy, crawly, they came, and I ran, and ran, and I couldn't fly, and the killer plants... what was _that_?" The Argoan was still shaking as J'onn took her to the infirmary.

All three of them exchanged nervous looks. What on _earth_ could have a Super shaking as if they had just been through hell and back?

* * *

The next mission that involved any place near Domino City, Booster Gold was at crowd control again, not that it was anything important, really.

There was a high-pitched scream, and Booster Gold awkwardly stopped a white-haired man from dashing back. "Now, young man, we've got this covered, trust me-"

"Let go!" the white-haired man snarled, and the hero got a glimpse of russet eyes like old blood and a snarl like a wolf's. "My _omote_ is there!"

If he had a penny for every concern like that. "We'll take care of it-"

"Move!" a flash of gold light later, the hero only saw darkness.

The next light Booster Gold saw was the infirmary of the Watchtower, with a reluctant J'onn informing him that he had been out for a week, with a gentler fascimile of the white-haired man sheepishly waiting for him.

"I'm so sorry for Bakura," the gentle man said. "He can be a little... overprotective? I'm so sorry, again."

"You were lucky," Batman off-handedly commented as the white-haired civilian was escorted off. "People don't often cross Yami no Bakura and live to tell of it."

Booster Gold had nightmares of unending darkness for weeks.

* * *

It was after a few more incidents of young and reckless metas believing in their own invincibility and risking more trips only to return with haunted looks and talking of nightmares and shadows and basically what every patient of Arkham Asylum would say, that Batman had finally had enough.

"I've called you all here today for a single reason," the Dark Knight began without preamble once every young member of the expanded League who regularly took missions overseas of the States had been gathered. "To elaborate on guideline number fifty, listing forty-nine."

Nobody needed clarification of that, especially those present for when Plastic Man had walked into a certain game store and came out literally melting and begging to leave an innocent-looking punk-haired store keeper behind.

"Domino City has no heroes," Batman continued. "It has no metas, period. There are no coporate Robin Hoods, nor are there any corporate villains abusing the little man. The simple reason, is because of two things. One, is monsters."

Disbelieving looks and hushed whispers were exchanged until haunted looks grew and shadows seemed to grow.

"Domino City is a place where monsters literally come alive," Batman elaborated. "Monsters which hardly any of the League can fight on their home turf, let alone in a strange city, haunt the place. And these monsters are watched over by six people who can control them. I'm going to go over them in pairs for conveniece. First, Yuugi Mutou and Yami no Yuugi."

Quite a few heroes flinched as pictures of two near-identical punk-haired males appeared, each a professional full-face photograph, except that one had large violet eyes of light and innocence, and the other crimson eyes associated with the night and darkness.

"Who's who?" one brave soul asked.

"No one knows, and I take some time to figure it out," Batman answered. "They can randomly switch locations with each other, and thankfully _only_ with each other. In Duel Monsters, Yuugi Mutou is known as the King of Games, a title that he shares with Yami no Yuugi. Both of them share the same skill set, which i will be touching upon after the introductions."

No one missed that he did not comment on their skills.

"Next, Ryou Bakura and Yami no Bakura."

Booster Gold's reaction was the most extreme, his little rootic partner puzzled over its master's hiding away as pictures of two near-identical long white-haired males, one with gentle green and the other cold russet that seemed to express a barren wasteland of a soul.

"They also belong to the same set as the previous pair, partners to each other." Batman flashed up the last pictures.

Almost half the congregation flinched as two photographs were revealed, one of a dark-skinned blond that wore his long hair slick and to his shoulders and mostly sulking, the other with a truly horrific case of bed-head and eyes and a smirk that would look more in place on the Joker's face.

"Both of them are suspected to be involved in a previous Interpol investigation concerning a criminal organisation named Ghouls." Batman narrated. "Even so, it is these six who control the monsters, who keep tabs and make sure that the population is unharmed. However, unless one knows how to fight them, one will be eaten, or transported to another dimension to be eaten, or have their spirit astral-projected to be eaten, or killed. And, also, these six have no reason to like the Justice League, and every reason to hunt us down on their turf with extreme prejudice. Even Superman will not be able to save you. There are only two exceptions to this rule. One is J'onn. The other, is me. "

Every hero present became even more convinced; Batman could do the impossible.

"The other reason, is Seto Kaiba," Batman placed up the picture of the KaibaCorp CEO, complete with billowing white trench coat and Blue Eyes White Dragon on the background, on screen. "You know those dragons behind him?"

All of them nodded, having heard Flash's spiel on it before.

Batman allowed himself a small glare at the audience. "To unlucky spies that walk into the wrong room... he feeds them to the dragons. Therefore, you might die once you walk into Domino City without either me, or J'onn."

No one doubted him, because, now, Batman was always right.

* * *

"Was the melodrama really necessary? I don;t think I've even sighted a hero approach Japan in weeks."

Batman tried not to start as the shadows melted off the white-haired figure grinning at him. He had been trained to hide in shadows and gloom, but there was no darkness to hide from one of the Darkness. "Only way for them to get the message. Someone would have to give the message to the next generation too."

"Perhaps not," the white-haired figure sighed. "Ryou and I, we're thinking of a relocation to the Realm. The Pharaoh and the _hikari _have finally fnished their debate and are beginning, and the Tomb Keepers have gone long beforehand. Kaiba's dragons are still going to remain around, but without their master there's only so long they can remain under their own power. And the Herald has not approached Domino in a while, and always wanders. "

"There's the others," Batman pointed out, watchign the shadows of Domino shift easily in the presence of Darkness. "others who can reach the cards. Others who can see spirits, who can grant them power. Others who can make monsters real." _Like me_, the unspoken implication echoed.

"So there are others, and so the cycle continues," Bakura shrugged. "Time moves on even for the timeless and deathless, dark knight. It is the mortals who shine in their time, for their time is short. One must always give way to change sooner or later. Perhaps this is merely a dark illusion, and it is slowly slipping away."

"Where will you go?" Batman asked despite himself. "People talk is someone who's supposedly to be thirty keeps looking like they're eighteen."

"There are always places," Bakura absently answered. "I have time, the darkness, and Ryou. There will always be monsters, there will always be shadows in this dark city of games. But the people, the people will change. Look, already our era is gone, and the Cyber deck sits at the throne of the Duel world with Ryou and Sho Marufuji. It will be their time soon, but not yet. Not yet... but we all face the darkness sooner or later. I wait for when you finally embrace it, dark knight, the shadows." A brief grin, like a blood-thirsty wolf. "You'll shake the whole worl if you had powers, we know. There is few others with your will. Tally ho!"

Batman had turned around at the incongrous bidding, only to be face with a brick wall, the breaking of the storm clouds over Domino City, and shadows. Always shadows.

* * *

_**Please review!**_


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